Unmei Force NEXT: Stars of Tomorrow
by Xovercreator
Summary: Set within the next generation of heroes, the Unmei Force have grown into its own faction over time, and their own hub world, where many have visited and even taken residence in. Inside are the tales that relate to the heroes of the second generation, sons and daughters of the original members. Read on and see what hijinks they may get up to.
1. Prologue

Unmei Force NEXT: Stars of Tomorrow

Prologue: The Second Generation of UF!

* * *

_It has been decades since the Unmei Force have arrived in the multiverse, where their journey has led them to finally find their answers._

_Their task complete, they have taken permanent residence in the multiverse, and in time, they created their own world, where many residents of their old reality reside in._

_Some say that it was a new Gensokyo, born from the fragments of the old, and others say that it was merely a world serving as a junction between the two realities._

_Either way, even while the multiverse is in relative peace, the Unmei Force has never remained without work amongst the multiverse._

_Over time, they have formed themselves as a prominent faction of the reality around them, as their armies were mighty as they were numerous, and worlds slowly drew under their protection and allegiance, due to their actions. The heroes have never left a call of help amongst the world unaided, and they have managed to ensure that peace and order lasts in the multiverse._

_Villains and monsters have passed by, in the blink of an eye, as the heroes has proven to be triumphant at all occasions, allowing peace and equality to spread amongst the people of the multiverse. Eventually, the people began to see the Unmei Force as guardian gods of their own right, as they have rarely aged each time they were spotted or seen._

_But the members of the Unmei Force were not truly the only ones that would safeguard the multiverse for the years to come, as only a few of them are truly immortal, and the others barely long-lived. In time, a new generation was born, and amongst them, were the bright stars that would herald the second generation of the heroes that would represent Unmei Force._

_And so... Our tale begins in GFS Ryujin, which has been turned into a planetoid station over the decades, thanks to the help of the millions upon millions of talented specialists that made the transformation possible._

* * *

Two figures clashed against each other, as the sound of a heated battle rang across the enormous room, as they darted towards each other from varying direction, clashing at different points of the battlefield, as they didn't slow down even the slightest against each other.

The first of the figures was a young man that had raven-black hair that reached eye-level on the front, as they were parted aside towards the left, and wore a black jacket around his torso, with long golden sleeve-cuffs, black jeans, and black leather boots, with a slightly slender body frame. And his opponent was Richard himself, who looked a fair bit more mature and middle-aged than in the past decades, and he was dressed in a black traditional Chinese swordsman hanfu robe, with a grey sash around his abdomen.

The two of them fought each other using long stick-like that were styled like typical medium-length swords, with red markings where the edge of the 'blades' would be, as the areas were glowing with magic in them. Richard seemed to be doing well against his opponent, as he was blocking almost every hit directed at him, only allowing glancing blows to even touch him. However, it was evident that Richard wasn't truly using his all to fight against his partner, as his actions were purposely slower than he would be in a serious fight, almost to the degree of a standard dual-wielding swordsman.

His opponent grunted and cried with each strike, swinging with both vigour and speed, hoping to strike Richard, as he tried for a forward thrust to catch Richard. However, Richard merely twisted his right weapon to block the tip, before he then used his left weapon with force to smack the weapon aside. His target was staggered from trying to right his position, allowing Richard to do a standard sweep that slammed the stick across the torso of his enemy, eliciting a pained expression and cry from him, and then finishing with a full upwards slash that knocked his opponent into the air, flying back a few feet, and landing on the ground with a groan.

Richard merely gave his partner a side-glance, before he then lowered his 'blades'. "That's enough." Richard said with a firm tone. "It seems that you have made enough improvement, but you have not yet achieved your goal. I'll allow this training session to come to an end. Rest yourself, so that the feeling of simulated pain will disappear from your body. But if you take too long, then I'll have to complain that someone has not maintained these training weapons well enough. And you know that you wouldn't want to bother anyone."

He then turned his back. "You have the rest of the day off... But if you know what's better for you, you'd require spending more time practising the forms of using the same style as I do, and training your body to properly utilise them. After all, you still have the promise too-"

Suddenly, he heard the cry of his opponent, as he whirled around on his heels, barely in time to see his opponent standing up, hefting both of his 'blades' out with a determined war-cry, as he immediately attacked Richard with a barrage of slashes and swings. Richard managed to react against the first attack by swiftly bringing up his weapons in a cross-guard, which allowed him to block the first few attacks. However, his opponent merely struck harder and faster with each strike, before he managed to slam his sticks through Richard's guard, allowing him to jab his stick point-first into Richard's stomach, eliciting a restrained growl of pain.

"Enough... Stop this now. I admire that you're still willing to continue this fight, but you need time to avoid overexerting your own body." Richard responded back, as he tried to block the blows, although several of them hit him hard, interrupting his words mid-way several times.

However, his opponent wasn't even listening, as he fought against Richard much harder than before. Richard's patience slowly thinned as his opponent refused to back down when asked for several moments, before he finally had enough, and immediately disarmed his opponent with two quick slashes to the wrist, causing the wielder enough pain to instinctively lose grip around his weapons, much to his shock. Richard then immediately crossed his blades like a pair of scissors, before pinning his opponent between the tips, and pushing him down to the ground, with the two sticks pinning him down.

"I said ENOUGH." Richard hissed with a strict tone, clenching his blades tighter around the neck of his opponent.

"Stop...! Stop...!" His opponent finally answered back, as he quickly raised his hands in surrender. "I'm calm now! I'm calm!"

Richard waited a few moments to confirm that his opponent has settled down this time, before he immediately undid the scissors-like grip around his neck, and immediately helped him back up on his feet.

"Alright, I want a proper explanation why you would try such a reckless action." Richard responded back with a very disappointed tone. "I have told you that the battle is over. There is no point in trying to strike me. I only let you do that for a moment, because I thought that you were desperate to get some blows on me, so I allowed that in my mercy. However, when you refused to cease, you forced my hand. Had this been a real fight, this would have resulted in your immediate and inevitable death. If this situation was real, you would do well to respect your opponent. Understand?"

His opponent immediately turned his eyes away from Richard, with a solemn expression. "I'm sorry, my father, and my mentor." He apologised back. "I… I didn't know what came over me. I was so desperate to achieve the goal that to set for me, in exchange for giving me that one thing I wanted. I shouldn't have been so rash to charge my own father, who dwarfs me in both skill and strength. I understand that what I did was wrong, and I ensure you that I will never do this again."

Richard sighed deeply, before he then placed both of his hands on his son's shoulders. "Look at me." He told him with a calm tone and expression.

His son turned his face back towards him, as his eyes showed that he was unhappy about being scolded and the fact that he deserved it for what he did.

"Listen, son. I forgive you for what you have done." Richard told his child. "I know that you are truly desperate to earn the right to see your mother, but you cannot yet. I already allowed the fact that she can visit you as often as she wishes. But you must stay here for the training. You may hate me for being so strict on you, but I only want the best out of you, my own successor and child. Besides, I hoped that your time with the other members would help to alleviate the homesick feeling. It seems that your love for your mother is stronger than I predicted. But you must understand, you cannot do such reckless things. You may be immortal like the both of us, but do not mistake immortality with invincibility. You can still die, and I assure you that both the process of suffering it typically and reviving from it is not a pleasant experience. I have been killed several times before, all in ways that no mortal could even bear. I do not wish for you to suffer the same fate, so I will train you so that you are strong enough to avert such fates being inflicted on yourself.

"I… I know, father… But I just wanted to prove that I'm strong enough to earn your approval and your respect. Sanae told me that I should not be craving for it, but I… I merely wish to be strong enough to protect everyone, like you used to in the decades before."

"Oh, Mirai…" Richard stated his son by name, before he embraced him with a warm hug. "You truly take after me, don't you. You are trying to be the strong and mighty saviour that your father was. I guess that I have no reason not to take pride in your efforts."

"Father…" Mirai responded back, before he wrapped his arms around his father with a smile. "Thank you…"

After a few moment, both father and son separated from each other, as Richard picked up the training weapons, and slotted them into their place on the wall slots.

"Now then… Go on, and have your free time. Today, training ends here. But remember, you cannot hope to return to your mother's side, unless you have proven that you are worthy enough to lead the Unmei Force as the second generation leader." Richard stated. "I will be watching you, and seeing how you will prepare and hone yourself to achieve that."

Mirai merely nodded, before he left the training room, as Richard smirked slightly.

"That kid… He really takes after me… Using such a reckless method to try and take me down… Had I not guarded properly or anticipate the attack, he would have truly managed to knock me down from my feet with his ferocious, yet controlled blows." Richard commented to himself. "I guess that other than the flaw of not knowing the meaning of moderation and surrender, he would make a fine leader in my place."

Mirai then immediately made his way down the corridors, passing by the various crew-members and civilians of the planetoid station, as he immediately made his way to one of the larger elevators, taking his place around the edge, as the large platform immediately descended down the long shaft. It then showed the large bustling city around them, as the building they were in, was right in the centre of it, as skyscrapers and buildings alike peppered the landscape in front of him.

After a few moments, the elevator finally descended to the bottom, as the large doors opened, allowing the occupants to spill out onto the streets of the city. Mirai immediately followed down one of the streets, as he made his way towards a small food shop, which had lit paper lanterns decorated along the sign, which was a masterfully-carved wooden board that had the Japanese characters and kanji for 'Tetsu's Kitchen' on it in black ink.

Mirai immediately made his way to one of the counter tables, sitting himself squarely on the wooden stool. He then immediately raised a hand, and cried out "Oi, Uncle Tetsu!".

At the call, a slightly old male wolf tengu, whose white fur has dulled to a light grey colour due to age, came out, wearing a white cook's apron, came out to greet Mirai, with a warm smile.

"Ah, if it isn't my usual customer, and the son of Richard." Tetsu responded back with a slightly gruff voice. "How may I serve you for this visit?"

"The usual please. You know how much I love the stuff, Uncle Tetsu!" Mirai energetically responded back.

"Alright then, your usual, coming right up." Tetsu chuckled, before he then retreated into the kitchen at the back, which was lively with the sounds of cooking inside of it. After a few moments, Tetsu came out, holding a bowl of warm udon noodles, with teriyaki chicken pieces on top of it. "There you go. Enjoy it, young hero!"

"Damn right I will!" Mirai exclaimed, before he slammed the money for the meal, with some extra change. "For you! You've always gave me the best stuff I ever tasted, so this is nothing on my behalf!"

Tetsu chuckled lightly, as he took the money and placed it in the cashier, as Mirai immediately took a good whiff of the tasty scent emanating from the bowl of noodles and soup.

"Alright, now as usual… Itadakimasu~!" Mirai chimed, as he clapped his hands together in a prayer, before he immediately swiped the chopsticks into his hand, and started digging into his hearty meal quickly and devotedly.

After he finished savouring the noodles, he immediately grabbed the bowl, and chugged the rest of the noodle broth, gulp after gulp, until he finished drinking it in a single breath, letting out a satisfied sigh of relief in response.

"That hit the damn spot…" Mirai muttered with a euphoric expression, before he then left out a burp, causing him to cover his mouth with a embarrassed expression. "Ulp, sorry for that, Uncle Tetsu, that meal really filled me up after a round with my dad."

"I'm sure that you have had quite the session with him, by the sounds of it." Tetsu smiled back. "Tell me, how do you find your life here?"

"Not much different here, than when I stayed with my mother down in the new world." Mirai responded back with a pondering expression. "I mean, the place is nice enough, such that I don't have to worry about living alone. In fact, I bunked with a few of my friends here. Still, I miss my mother, because of how she often plays with me, and gives me fun things to do. Father doesn't do that, but he's good in his own right, because he spends his time with me, and teaches me everything I need to know. Plus, he's not really a hard-ass like most instructor and mentors are."

"I see. I see." Tetsu laughed heartily back.

"Anyway, Uncle Tetsu, thanks for the meal. I'll be sure to come back for another meal sometime." Mirai bid farewell to the kind store owner.

As he immediately got off the stool, he immediately noticed someone among the moving crowds, as it was a lady with dark brown hair that flowed free behind her back and brown eyes. She wore a grey top, with a red jacket over it, and a steel necklace with red roses attached on it, a short red skirt and long grey socks with brown leather boots. Mirai immediately recognised the female, as he immediately raised his hand.

"Hey! Hey!" Mirai called out out loud, waving his hand up and about. "Over here, Diane!"

Diane immediately noticed Mirai, as she turned to him, and walked over. When she arrived in front of Mirai, she smiled back at him.

"Hello, Mirai. I truly didn't expect to see you today." Diane responded back. "Still eating over at Tetsu's Kitchen?"

"You bet. Tetsu makes the best udon noodles here. Change my mind if you can." Mirai stated, as he then crossed his arms in mock-grumpiness, causing Diane to let out a amused peal of laughter.

"Well, I can't argue against you on that, Mirai." Diane chuckled, before she then stopped laughing. "Anyway, I heard that you just finished your training session with your father. It ended with a practice spar, didn't it, like usual? How did it go?"

"Well…" Mirai stated, as his expression turned slightly less cheerful, biting his lip in reluctance to talk about it. "It's… well… To tell you the truth, I almost had dad when I jumped him while his back was turned. I could tell, since I manage to get some good blows on him. But then he flipped his shit on me, and disarmed me faster than I could process it, and literally pinned my neck to the ground, between both of his weapons like a pair of scissors. You could tell how close I was to literally be whimpering in fear of witnessing my dad's unholy swordsmanship for a moment there. If I was his opponent, I would be dead the moment he pinned me. Just a single twist of his wrist, and it's off with my head."

"Oh… Are you alright?" Diane asked, her smile gone now. "Did he…?"

"Oh, don't be such a worry-wart, Diane. Father made sure to use the training blades for the spar. I'm fine with the pain gone now, and nothing else was hurt." Mirai assured Diane. "Besides, Dad would never harm me by accident, and he certainly wouldn't lay a hand on his own son unless it's for a very good reason that is important for me or him. Of course, he scolded me for being so reckless, but like the merciful and forgiving father he is, he told me not to worry about, and sent me along my way with nothing more than a simple scolding."

"I see. Have you learned your lesson then?" Diane questioned back.

"About trying not to pick fights with someone stronger than me, and knowing when to fight and when to not? Duly noted." Mirai answered back. "Well, I think we should head back. Dad's given me the day off, and I plan on wasting some damn scrubs online. After all, if I can't win against people online with pure skill, then I'm not even close to being able to handle the real thing."

"I see." Diane responded back. "My father told me the same, and mother just came over to check up on me. She even gave me a few pinches to the cheek for being so naughty to be with the likes of you. I swear, she really knows how to make me blush in embarrassment at times."

"What do you expect, Diane?" Mirai asked back, before he then spoke ominously. "They're our parents, they know everything about us, even our darkest desires and fears…"

Diane let out a frightened gasp at that statement, eliciting laughter from Mirai, which was quickly cut short when Diane jabbed her elbow into Mirai's stomach, winding him.

"Not funny! Not funny at all!" Diane exclaimed with outrage.

"Ow… Alright, alright, settle down, fire-girl." Mirai joked. "If it makes you feel better, I've had it worse from both my dad AND my mom before. So I know how it feels like. Still, sorry though."

"Not forgiven." Diane huffed back, before she then smiled slyly. "Unless you can teach me a few tips on whatever you're playing."

"It's a deal. Come on, Diane!" Mirai exclaimed, before the two of them immediately rushed their way through the streets, to their own residence in the station.

And so… Another day passes in GFS Ryujin, and for the young heroes of the future.


	2. Chapter 1

Unmei Force: Stars of Tomorrow

Chapter 1: Day in the Dorms

* * *

As both Mirai and Diane make their way through the streets of the station city, they made their way to a large skyscraper apartment, tall enough to see a lot of its surroundings from atop it. They passed by the small and well-maintained garden at the entrance, as Diane took a moment to take a look at a set of freshly-budded roses with a relieved expression.

Inside the building, they were greeted by a blonde haired woman with small light gold cat ears twitching on top of her head, as she awaited the two young people to come to where she was, in front of a large receptionist's desk. She immediately gave them a playful yet warm smile, before she then placed her arms and hands on the table.

"Welcome back. I presume that you are returning to your own rooms?" The cat-eared lady told the two of them, as she gave off a low purr after she finished her sentence.

"Yes, we are." Mirai answered back with a simple nod. "I, in fact, wish to invite Diane to come to the boys dorm for the time being."

"Oh ho…!" The female receptionist chimed back, as she quickly raised a hand to her mouth with a devious loo in her eyes. "You do remember that neither of you have the right to stay in the dorm of your opposing gender overnight, do you? Although I love to see how your own love would bud between you, I rather not have trouble dropped on me because you broke the rules."

Both Mirai and Diane winced, as the receptionist's mention of love unsettled them slightly, causing them to look at each other for a moment, and immediately averting their eyes with flustered expressions.

"D-Don't be ridiculous…" Mirai responded back, trying to keep calm and maintain his composure in front of the teasing. "Both father and mother taught me better to patient wait for true love to form, not an immature form of it, and not to rush a relationship. I believe that my relationship for Diane might not be simply puppy love for each other, but we cannot say for sure if our hearts are destined to be together yet."

"Besides… I don't think we'll be going too far with how we are… Especially if our parents could literally smack up to the inches of our lives if we acted irresponsibly." Diane added as well. "And it would help no-one to make a mess of things, when the situation is far simpler and clear than it is supposed to be."

The cat receptionist stifled the urge to laugh at the respective reactions of the two close friends, as she immediately threw out their personal key-cards for their own dorms and rooms.

"Every time you come in here, you always react like this. But I can't deny it's fun having this happen day by day. In fact, I'll be waiting for the day that you actually tell me something else, because your expressions right now are just too precious. So cute, that's what they are." The receptionist stated, before she then lowered her arms back down. "Now then, remember that if you have any problems, big sis here will take care of it for you, okay?"

"Right. Right." Mirai nodded back, as he immediately grabbed Diane's hand. "Come on, Diane. Let's get you to the dorm, so that I can make true to my deal earlier."

Diane looked back at Mirai and smiled, as the two of them made their way past the receptionist, right into the large set of elevators laid before them. They immediately went inside one of the farthest ones, as it was labelled as a 'dorms-only elevator'. As soon as they got inside, Mirai immediately slid his card across the card reader, before then pushing the button for their floor, as the elevator immediately began to rise sharply, passing through many floors, before slowly coming to a halt.

Both of them immediately left the elevator, as they found themselves inside a small corridor with a floor made of smooth carpet, and the lights above of them were a mild orange. They continued down the corridor, until they found themselves in a cross-shaped intersection, with signs along each way. To the front of them was the way to the common lounge, and on the left was the way to the boys wing of the dorms, and on the right was the way to the girls wing of the dorms.

Mirai gestured Diane to follow him, as they took a turn to the right, before reaching a large door, that was mounted with a camera inside of the door, in order to allow those inside to have a live feed of the people outside. He immediately pressed the bell button on the intercom to the side of the door, as the melodious tune that was the doorbell rang on the other side. Both of them could hear the sound of quick footsteps hitting the floor on the other side faintly, before the intercom crackled on.

"Who's there?" A young male voice with a slight deep accent on it was heard.

"It's me, Leif." Mirai responded back. "Mirai. And I brought Diane with me."

"Mirai? Hold on a moment, I'll get the door open for the both of you." Leif responded back, as the intercom turned itself off, and the sound of footsteps was heard again on the other side of the door, this time towards it.

The door-knob was twisted quite quickly, as the door was pushed open to reveal a young man within the same age as the two visitors, with blonde hair, and blue eyes, and wore a green vest over a white tunic, all of which can be related to Link himself. He also wore baggy white pants, and he looked quite stocky compared to someone of the same age as him.

"Lief." Mirai stated with a even tone.

"Mirai." Leif responded back, to which there was a brief moment of silence, before he smiled. "I see that you brought someone from the girls dorm all the way over on the other side of this floor. I'm actually quite happy to see you again, Diane. How is everyone in your own dorms?"

"It's going fine." Diane responded back with a optimistic tone. "Kana's been doing quite fine despite her overly energetic disposition, especially when it results in her almost breaking a few things with her wild behaviour. Ellie is still focused on her own personal projects, although we managed to break her out of her shell with some hobbies that she can do with other people. And Hana…? Well, she's still a little nervous of falling short of the expectations of others, and is literally working towards trying to earn your respect, as her 'senpai' of some sorts. I'm fairly glad that she is quite fond of several people, but her devotion is… quite disturbing when she literally pushes herself to do feats that would be miraculous even for someone like her. I wonder if her timid attitude is a counter-balance to keep her insanely potent devotion to her tasks, so that she doesn't end up looking like a creepily over-achiever, and a overly eager one as well."

"Ah, I see. I'm glad to hear that from you, and I pray to both the Hylian Trinity, and any god of good-will that you will be able to eventually overcome your own worries and personal insecurities, and become closer to each other. Perhaps as battle-sisters even?" Leif suggested, as he pondered on the idea himself in his mind.

"I… Thank you for the vote of confidence." Diane gratefully answered back to the young blonde.

"You are most welcome, Diane Campbell." Leif addressed her back with her full name. "Now then, I shouldn't keep you waiting here for so long. Come in, the both of you."

Diane and Mirai immediately came in, as Leif locked the door behind them, and they proceeded past a long set of doors, as some of them were already taken as their own, with their own name and door decorations on top, the rest empty. They made their way to the other half of the dorm, which had most of the housing facilities in place. A set of couches with footrests of their own, with a round table to use for whatever purpose it is needed for, large cabinets that surrounded a wide television screen, as there are several electronic devices connected to it, with many others stocked within the shelves, with their respective content, served to be the living room part of the dorms. It had a large kitchen, connected to a large storage room for all culinary materials, several fridges and freezers for preservations, and most of the kitchen appliances. A large laundry room was on the opposite side of the room, with sets of large washing machines and cabinets to store extra clothing inside of them. Finally, there was a door leading to a personal gym, although it seemed to be closed for the moment, as the sounds of someone exercising could be heard inside of it.

On the dining table was a young boy with pale skin, and darkish-grey hair styled in a noble and fancy hairstyle, as well as blood-red eyes. He was wearing a dark black hoodie, with the hood hanging loosely behind his back, inscribed with the picture of comedic round little devil bats in red. He wore slim black jeans to complement his hoodie in colour, and he wore red boots on his feet. He was immediately scarfing down his meal, which was a plate of steak complete with a side of salad.

As he finished his meal, he noticed that the other three that was coming in, as he immediately wiped his lips and mouth clean with a few tissues, before pulling himself out of the seat, and immediately addressing them with a curt bow.

"It's nice to see you back, Mirai. How went your training with your father? Strenuous, I would assume?" The resident told Mirai in a young voice, with hints of nobility and formality in it.

"Indeed, it has, Aster. How was the steak?" Mirai responded back with a grin.

"Well-done, as I expected it." Aster answered back, giving off a single cough to clear his throat. "And I see that you brought Lady Diane with you. How are you these days, fair lady?"

"I'm fine. Thank you for asking, Aster." Diane responded back.

"That is of no problem for me. It is merely courtesy that I follow my mother's example in addressing my friends with the respect they deserve." Aster answered back. "If you are looking for Hidetada, then I'll tell you that he is inside the gym, practicing his own unarmed arts. Although you would have deduced that, by eliminating all of us as possibilities, since we are all gathered here, wouldn't you?"

"Pft… I swear, Hidetada shares his father's enthusiasm towards getting stronger." Mirai scoffed. "We boys have Hidetada, and you girls have Ellie, Diane. What's the similarity between them? They're dead focused on their personal goals, and it takes us friends to drag them out from it, in order to do something more sociable and fun for everyone involved. Although… I won't lie that I've been hitting the gym a lot recently. After all, I'll need to beat my dad fairly, if I want to see mother again."

"Ah, yes." Aster nodded back. "You must miss her so. However, as your friend, I would advise that you should take your mind off trying to earn the right to see your mother, when she often comes to visit you from time to time, and more on trying to consolidate your life here. After all, we are to be the future of the Unmei Force, no?"

"Yeah. You're right about that. I don't plan on NOT taking the call for being the leader of the second generation. After all, I've inherited father's wit and proficiency with blades, and mother's massive energy reserves and ability to alter perception of space and time. Even if I don't make it as leader, I'd be one of the highest ranked members of the organisation until the end of my generation, right…?"

"Heh heh…" Aster chuckled. "You truly are as ambitious as your father."

"I'll be with you, like Father was with yours." Leif responded back, placing a hand on Mirai's shoulder. "Together, we'll ensure that the worlds around us will be in peace and harmony, where the people are free and happy."

"You always tell me that sappy little declaration every time." Mirai responded back, before he smiled back. "But I cannot deny that it doesn't make it sound any less inspiring."

Suddenly, the gym door was slammed open, as a young man with scruffy dark brown hair that is styled into a large tuft in front of his head, and only wearing a golden sport singlet on his torso, as well as shorts on his legs. He immediately shuts the door behind him, stretching his limbs and neck, as he seemed to be fairly sweaty from the workout he had. When he saw the boys and Diane gathered in front of him, he immediately turned to them.

"Huh. Hello there, Diane. And welcome back, Mirai." He addressed both Mirai and Diane. "I was just spending my time in the gym working out, so if you won't mind, I'll just go and take a shower to wash this sweat off me. It would be unseemly for me to let the sweat create a awful smell among you all."

"Ugh... Please go and do that quickly, Hidetada." Mirai responded back, as his expression twisted slightly with disgust. "At least you're aware of the fact that you don't want this smell of sweat to get to everyone like this."

"...At once." Hidetada nodded back, as he immediately left the group, before he made his way to the room, and entered it. As the door closed, Mirai immediately pointed back with his thumb.

"See what I mean, Diane? He worked up a goddamn sweat. And considering the physique he inherited from his father..." Mirai remarked. "...That means that he must have spent several hours inside of the gym... at least. I swear, he's a workout maniac, and the fact that he inherited his father's way of being overly humble to the point it unsettles people, only makes it worse."

"Ah well. We just simply need more time to get used to his antics." Aster commented as well.

"Now then, since you two are here and don with stuff... How about you join me and Diane? I've promised to teach her some tips on a long-time game of mine." Mirai stated. "You'll benefit from the experience, and there's nothing to do for the time being, right?"

"...Fair point." Aster responded back, before he then made his way down to the couch, taking a seat quickly. "I would be glad to have some fun with you."

"Sure." Leif stated, as he immediately took another seat in the couch. "I'll happily take a controller and join in. Besides, although Father never had the chance to enjoy it, video games are fairly challenging for the mind and body. The reflexes to pull off moves, and the mindset to know one's opponents in a mock battle."

"Alright then. Let's get this show started." Mirai remarked, before he immediately started up the game console, before sliding and handing controllers to his friends, before he immediately sat back down on the couch, with Diane beside him. The screen then immediately showed the screen of the latest Smash game, which was titled as Super Smash Bros Rumble.

"Now then, what character are you playing as, Diane?" Mirai asked, as he immediately set the game to a classic stock match, with the characters being chosen quickly. Leif for Link, and Aster for Robin, toggling for a Female Robin skin. Mirai immediately selected Mario, before toggling for the Builder Mario skin. "I'm sure that you've had a main once. What was it again...? It's been fairly long since you touched the game, so I won't blame you for losing some of your own skills."

"No, I remember clearly what it was. It was..." Diane answered back, as she immediately moved her player token through the multilude of characters, resting on Reimu, as her name was called by the announcer. "...her. I remember that I did pretty well using her."

"Hm. Fair enough. Projectile spam is a viable strategy, although slightly under-handed at times." Mirai stated, as Diane glared at him for a few moments in response, while he picked out 4 computer-controlled opponents to fight with them, and set them to low-level AIs. "Alright then, ready to rumble? Because now you're facing the child of not one, but TWO gaming pros right here before you!"

Diane chuckled slightly, her irritation from Mirai's previous statement forgotten, considering she found his boast quite humorous, since he is not as perfect in fighting in Smash as he claims right now. The timer immediately counted down, as the various characters made their intro on the stage, which seemed to be a large set of keystones, that were styled in the shape of Battlefield, three platforms spaced like a equilateral triangle, above a large forest, while a familiar tune played in the background, with guitars and trumpets mixed in.

When the timer went off, the characters immediately fought against each other, as the CPU characters immediately focused on each other, or on one of the players, although they were easily knocked away when the players retaliated back. As Aster's Robin hung beside the edge, charging Lightning into Thoron, while Mirai was using Mario to slam characters with air attacks, using a series of mid-air to score his first kill, and a forward-air spike to earn his second, both CPU characters.

Leif was faring quite well, using the tried-and-true tactic of using bombs as a interruptions for most attacks aimed at him, and using his character's abilities to the fullest extent, using Spin Slash to rip his opponents to pieces, and to recover, and using his Boomerang to knock enemies closer to him, so that he could combo them into a finishing strike to knock the opponents out. Diane was doing quite fine as well, using her short-ranged standard attacks to deal damage, before using smash attacks to knock opponents off the stage, as well as using her character's specials to help protect her, as she constantly used the Yin-Yang Orbs to hit far-away enemies, even knocking an enemy in the middle of their recovery far out of the stage.

Eventually, the CPU characters were crushed by the players, without any more stocks, allowing the four players to duke it out. Mirai immediately turned his attention to Aster, who tried his best to move his Robin out of range from Mirai's Mario, but however got hit by the initial attack, allowing Mirai to chain attacks to send the white-haired spell-caster right into the air, before finishing him off with a forward smashing strike that spiked Aster's character right off the stage and through the boundaries.

Aster merely groaned, while Mirai immediately pumped a fist, as hie Mario landed back on the ground, before he immediately made for Leif's Link, before he was blind-sided by a amulet shot from Diane's Reimu, stunning his Mario long enough for Leif to immediately jump Link towards him, as he immediately a mid-air spinning slash that managed to connect with Mirai's Mario, causing him to fly out of the bounds, as he tried to recover, only to miss his chance to air-dodge a Yin-Yang Orb from Diane, which managed to knock him back, this time through the boundaries of the stage, knocking a stock off him.

"Well-played, Diane. Well-played." Mirai respectfully muttered in response, as he waited for his character to reappear upon the spawning platform, as Aster was already had his on the stage on the stage already, as he was using Fire and Lightning spells to build up damage with the other characters, although doing so caused both Diane and Leif to move their battle to catch Aster's Robin in their fray, as he was damaged quite fairly in the fray.

Mirai then immediately took the opportunity after his Mario's spawning platform disappeared, to immediately fast-fall to the ground, before he immediately dash-grabbed Leif's Link, before then doing a upwards throw, to send his Link flying, before side-stepping quickly to avoid any attacks coming his way, and then jumping to catch Leif's character mid-air with a up-air to send him flying higher into the air, before he then immediately smashed him with a forward-air spike, which caused Link to bounce off the stage with great force, slightly off the stage itself, allowing Leif to recover his character quite easily. Mirai then immediately began to focus on just building more damage, while evading most of the attacks with quick short hops and dodge-rolls.

Eventually, Aster used a Fire spell to catch Diane's Reimu, before Mirai immediately used a quick down-smash to send the both of them flying across the stage, as Aster just barely wasted enough charge to be unable to use a Wind spell, let alone a Elwind to recover, as it polished off his last stock, causing Aster to sigh, before lowering his controller with slight disappointment. Diane, however, was close enough to use a quick Ascension Kick with her Reimu to recover, before chaining it with a Yin-Yang Orb to surprise Leif, who was standing near the ledge, hoping to smash her back with a smash attack. This caused Leif's Link to fly towards Mirai, who immediately forward-smashed to finish Leif off, sending him flying straight across and out of the boundary, surprising the blonde player, as his mouth was wide-open in shock at the events that led to his elimination.

This left only Mirai and Diane on the stage, as Mirai gave off a cocky grin, as Diane shifted her tactics to be more evasive, as she constantly tried to dodge Mirai's aggressive attempts to grab or hit her. However, she eventually gave out when Mirai managed to finally land a grab on her Reimu, before then using a forward throw to throw her off the ledge, and then chaining with a forward air-spike to finish her off, finishing the match, as the results displayed themselves.

Diane merely let out a sigh, with a satisfied smile on her face, while Mirai lowered his controller, and then turned to Diane.

"Well, if it's any consolation, you were a close second." Mirai assured Diane. "That is a fact that you should take pride in, since its' a improvement since you touched this game before. Hell, I'm impressed that you managed to do that well after not touching the game for so long. And... as I told you, the commentary and tips you will be needing, and that I promised you. Diane, although you're a good player, but you should be more patient when timing your dodges, or at least predict when an attack is coming your way. At least you managed to do well utilising the fast-fall mechanic, or you would be having a bad time getting hit with aerial attacks and up-specials... Oh, and Ascension Kick can be chained with a forward-air to do a juggle combo."

"I'll keep that in mind next time." Diane nodded back.

Mirai then turned back to the two other players, and his dorm-mates. "Alright then, who's up for a few more rounds?" He asked them. "You won't get better against me, if you don't learn from playing against me. And I'm sure that one of you claimed that you would one day beat me in Smash, didn't you?"

At the statement, Aster merely grinned back. "And I have made my word on it. As the son of a great demoness, my word carries a lot of weight, so I fully intend on fulfilling it."

Leif sucked in a deep breath, before he then raised his controller, with determination in his eyes. Seeing the reactions from both of them, Mirai immediately smirked back.

"Right then... Round 2..." Mirai stated, before he immediately started the next match. "...FIGHT!"

* * *

_A few hours later..._

Diane left the door of the boys dorm, as Mirai immediately came to the door to see his close friend off.

"See you later, Diane. I hope that you had a very fun time with us." Mirai told Diane with a warm tone. "I'm sure that you would be willing to spend time with us again some time. We sure would be happy to have company any time of the day. Except for a few occasions."

"I hope the same to you, Mirai." Diane responded back with the same familiarity and care in her tone, before she turned back and made her way down the corridor, while Mirai immediately closed the door in front of him.

Diane immediately made her way towards the girls wing of the dorms, as she walked up to the large door, before she pressed the door-bell. Afterwards, there was the sound of quick and heavy footsteps, as the door was immediately slammed open with such great force that had it not been reinforced on the hinges, whoever opened it would have taken it off.

"Ka-" Diane was about to greet the person who opened the door, before she was immediately caught in a bear-hug by the very same person. It was a young girl with dark yellow eyes and curved silver hair that had bangs hanging beside the front of her head, as well as short tufts on the side of her head. She wore a large blue and soft scarf around her neck, and dressed in a silver shirt with a black dragon's head on it, as well as a short white skirt, barefoot with only cotton stirrups strapped under the arches of her feet. She also had a necklace made of silver and sturdy rope, as the gem was a considerably big one that looked the same colour as a sapphire and shined like one, along with the symbol of a dragon on the front of the gem's surface.

"Diane! Welcome back~!" She immediately responded back with eyes sparkling with excitement and joy, while Diane struggled to ensure her friend keeps a fair distance from her, although she didn't struggle too hard. "Where did you go? You were gone for so long! I'm sure that you had lots of fun, didn't you?"

"Kana...! Please..." Diane responded back with a flustered tone, as she tried to convince the now-named girl to let her go, or at least loosen her grip around her torso. "Not too tight...! You might hurt me bad one of these days if you keep hugging me like this!"

Kana immediately reacted to Diane's words, as the silver-haired girl immediately yelped in surprise at how tightly she was hugging Diane, before she immediately unwrapped her arms around Diane, and quickly back-stepping to a reasonable distance. She then immediately gave off a goofy grin, while rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

"Ehehe... Sorry for that, Diane." Kana giggled slightly. "I just simply want to give you a big hug every time you come back to us. I hope that I didn't hurt you, did I? Because if I have... I'm really sorry, and I'll promise to restrain myself next time."

Diane then saw how Kana's joy slightly faded after her apology, causing Diane to move closer, and place a hand on Kana's shoulder.

"It's alright. I'm just simply worried about you being unable to control your strength. Remember the time that you almost broke the poor tengu's back with one of your tackle-hugs, right?" Diane responded back. "You don't want to happen, because both your mother and father would give you a real earful for being so reckless in your actions. And if you hurt me... It wouldn't be good for both of us. But that doesn't mean that you can't hug me. You just need to do it slowly and softly. The only reason that your parents can handle the hugs, is because they're built to take things worse than it."

"Okay." Kana nodded, as her mood lightened up slightly. "Hana and Ellie are just inside, and they've been waiting for you. Although Ellie is still working on her own little personal project."

"I see." Diane nodded, before she then entered the room, closing the door behind her, as Kana followed her.

Much like the boys' dorm, the dorm had a large room which was connected to most of the residential facilities essential for long-term living. There was a young woman with lavender hair, and large white bunny ears sprouting from the top of her head, and blue eyes as well, working in the kitchen, making a small meal, wearing a large white cooking apron over her own clothes, which consisted of a long-sleeved purple t-shirt and black shorts. The other occupant of the room was a black-haired girl with black hair and grey eyes that has been tied into a short pony-tail behind her head, as she was dressed in a rough straw shawl around her neck, with a familiar red pattern around the edges, as she was dressed in dark-blue overalls and pants, which were slightly stained with oil and other fluids. She was working on creating a working music box, as she was using several fine tools to work on it, tweaking and placing the components of it together, right on the dining table of the room.

"Ah. Good evening, Diane." The rabbit-eared girl stated, as she stirred the pot in front of her, which was filled with a soup made from both vegetables and meat. "You're just in time for some dinner. I've prepared some beef soup to drink, and rice with assorted dishes for the main meal."

"Glad to be in time then, Hana." Diane responded back, as she immediately took her seat close to her room-mate, who was still working on her work-in-progress music box. "Hello there, Ellie. I see that you're still working on that music box of yours?"

"Of course. I'm almost done with it." Ellie responded back, as she raised her head up to look at Diane, stopping her work for a moment. "Once it's done, I'll use it first towards all of you, and see if it's to your liking. After all, I can only hope that one day I would be able to reach the same level of mastery as my mother when it comes to the maintenance and construction of devices both big and small."

"I see." Diane stated. "No matter what you make, I'd think that it would be something very wonderful. You must be using a very famous tune in there, aren't you? Well then, good luck on your work then."

"Thank you for the encouragement." Ellie smiled back, before she then lowered her head, continuing to put together the small music box in her hands.

"Geez, Ellie." Kana muttered with a slight pout, pushing herself beside Diane. "You sure love to make these things right...? You're really such a nerd sometimes."

"It takes a certified 'nerd' to be able to know and skilfully maintain the inner workings of even the smallest device. And their task is most essential as well." Ellie retorted back, not taking her eyes off her music box to respond back. "Think about it like this, Kana. Most of the equipment that we use are basically devices in their own right. From guns to vehicles, and from earphones to complex electronic devices. Without people like my mother, we would not be able to properly integrate such things into our lives, as they would break down every so often without the proper maintenance, and that could become fatal in most occurrences. It would be like charging into a battlefield with a rusted blade, that is just mere moments away from snapping in two with even a single weak strike. Surely, you wouldn't do such a thing, right?"

"No... But still...!" Kana responded back, as she shook her head gently.

"Then I believe that I made my point clearly here." Ellie concluded, as she continued her work on her music box.

"Hey...! You didn't have to be rude about it!" Kana exclaimed in outrage, before she was immediately calmed down by Diane placing a hand on her shoulder.

"She was just trying to make her point. Besides, didn't you call her a 'nerd' in the first place?" Diane said to Kana.

"I didn't mean it in such a bad way. She's just a little goofy with how obsessed she is with the stuff. I'm not saying that what she's doing is just meaningless, but that doesn't mean that these 'devices' are everything for one's life. I mean, I still have my Dragonstone and my own Yato. I think that it's all I need to fight off anyone who tries to hurt my friends." Kana answered back.

"To each their own, Kana. To each their own." Diane responded back, before Hana immediately started placing the dishes on the table, as Ellie looked up for a moment, before packing up her tools and her nearly-completed music box.

"The food is done. Who wants to dig in first?" Hana asked the other girls.

"I do!" Kana shouted, as she immediately grabbed one of the rice bowls just as Hana placed it down, before she then started eating the rice ravenously.

Diane couldn't help but chuckle at the wild way that Kana was digging into her food, before she then waited for Hana finish placing all the dishes on the table, as the purple-haired girl immediately sat herself down. Diane immediately helped to pour a cup of pure spring water for each of her friends, before she then sat back down, lifting her glass up.

"Here's to another day of being dorm-mates, eh?" Diane asked with a confident smile on her face.

Everyone raised their cups up, as Kana did so, while using her other hand to keep on digging into her bowl of rice, as they immediately clinked their glasses together with a cry of 'Cheers!' together, before then taking a deep drink out of their cups, before taking their own portions from the dishes laid before them.

And like that, the night is passed away, with happiness and full bellies.


End file.
